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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. shower — to wash
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cue — a hint
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cell — in biology
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cell — a phone
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com